City Sprouts which received a 2016 Neighborhood Partnership Program grant, helps children in urban areas learn to grow their own food, along with helping these young people learn respect for the Earth and their communities. (Photo: Dale Dong)
The City of Akron and Akron Community Foundation have announced $206,751 in grants to help residents improve their community through the Neighborhood Partnership Program.
In all, matching grants were awarded to 49 projects throughout Greater Akron, ranging from a mentoring program for adult refugees and a community orchard to an annual Halloween festival, a canoe race, community gardens and neighborhood restoration projects. The funding targets local neighborhoods, including North Hill, Kenmore and University Park.
“Initiatives like the Neighborhood Partnership Program are a prime example of the City and our creative and motivated citizens partnering together to make Akron a better place,” said Mayor Daniel Horrigan. “This is Akronites coming together to invest in our community, resulting in some truly inspiring outcomes.”
The Neighborhood Partnership Program is a collaboration between the City of Akron and Akron Community Foundation to fund grassroots, citizen-led initiatives that revitalize and reinvent local neighborhoods. Each year, both Akron Community Foundation and the City of Akron commit $100,000 to the program. Officials from the City of Akron Department of Planning and Urban Development and the community foundation review the applications and make funding recommendations to Akron City Council.
The following groups received grants in 2016:
BEAUTIFICATION
City Sprouts, for a youth gardening project and healthy living program in Mason Park for children ages 7-12, $7,500
East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation, to repurpose a vacant lot at Minson Plaza, $7,500
Ellet Women’s Club, to maintain hanging flower baskets, and for the Community Sign Project, $5,000
Island Community Gardens, for the Island Community Gardens on Kling Street, offering garden plots, a picnic area and a bonfire pit, $1,546
JoAnna House II, to support the transformation of empty lots in South Akron into flowered parks, $1,000
Let’s Grow Akron Inc., to support children’s community gardens in the Summit Lake and Lane Field neighborhoods, and to teach inner-city residents how to prepare healthy meals, $7,500
West Hill Neighborhood Organization, for a new community orchard and two sculpture parks at Glendale and South Maple, $3,000, and a community garden and pocket park project, $2,000
COMMUNITY BUILDING
Bhutanese Community Association of Akron, for ROAM, a refugee adult mentoring program, $5,000
Charisma Community Connection, for the annual Fathers Walk event, where fathers attend school with their children, $1,000
City of Akron PeaceMakers, for an anti-crime and youth civic program that teaches youth about local government, community organizations and law enforcement, $7,500
East Akron YMCA, for scholarships to attend the Neighborhood Leadership Institute of Summit County, a leadership development program, $7,500
Fathers and Sons of Northeast Ohio, for urban fatherhood outreach, educating young people about the importance of developing characteristics of manhood and civic responsibility, $2,500
West Hill Neighborhood Organization, for monthly block watch meetings, a Harvest Festival and the neighborhood’s Night Out Against Crime event, $2,500
Williams Challenge, for the Man2Man Fatherhood Initiative, which helps at-risk men become a positive influence in their children’s lives, $5,000
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Akron African-American Cultural Association, for the 36th annual African-American Cultural Festival at Lock 3, which showcases local performers and highlights community resources by offering free health screenings and employment support, $7,100
Akron Community Service Center & Urban League, for Elegant Evenings, a dinner-dance for senior citizens that fosters healthy social interactions between seniors and youth volunteers, $2,000
Blessed Trinity Parish, for semimonthly senior dinners at the parish on Tallmadge Avenue to help create a more cohesive senior community in North Hill, $5,000
Canal Park Condominium Owners Association, for a community picnic that builds positive relationships among neighbors in this inner-city development, $1,000
DeBord’s 21st Annual Community Halloween Festival, for a family-friendly community Halloween festival at Hardesty Park, $3,000
Firestone Park Citizens Council, for the Firestone Park summer celebration and parade, $5,000
Greater Akron Portage Path Event Race Society, for the Portage Path Trail Re-enactment Endurance Race Kickoff, a canoe racing event at the Portage Path trail, $2,500
Greater Bethel CDC, for a weekend extravaganza in East Akron, including health screenings and community education, $6,000
Heart to Heart Family Support Center, for the National Night Out Against Crime event in the Rosemary/Arlington neighborhood of East Akron, $2,000
Hereford/Highland Area Block Watch, for a newsletter and community-building events in the Highland Square neighborhood, $4,000
Highland Square Neighborhood Association, for the 2016 Porch Rokr Festival, a one-day music and arts festival that showcases local musicians, vendors and community activities and builds relationships among neighbors in Highland Square, $7,500
JoAnna House II, for a Founder’s Day celebration in South Akron, $1,500
Kenmore Board of Trade, for community, holiday and seasonal events, $5,000
Kenmore Community Council Inc., for the 25th Annual Kenmore Community Days Festival, $7,500
Mountain of the Lord Fellowship, for the National Night Out Against Crime event in West Akron, $2,000
North Hill Community House, for the National Night Out Against Crime event in North Hill, $2,700
PathFinders, for the Community Awareness Summer Faire, which provides residents with educational, career and health information, $3,000
Residents Improving Goodyear Heights Together (RIGHT), for RIGHT Committee activities and newsletters, $7,500
The Salvation Army, for a neighborhood block party in West Hill, $3,000
West Akron Community Organization, for the West Akron Community Day Festival and Parade, $5,120
YOUTH
Adventure Camp, for a youth engagement program in West Akron that offers educational field trips, $2,850
AMHA Joy Park Homes Resident Association, for the R Rules program, a life skills/financial literacy program for youth in Joy Park Homes, $2,050
Anne Case Elementary School Parent Teacher Association, to provide after-school programs for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, including special needs children, $2,000
College for Kids, to introduce inner-city youth in fourth through sixth grades to career curriculum and professionals from diverse fields, $5,750
He Brought Us Out Ministry, for tutoring and the Building Blocks Enrichment Program, which provides after-school and summer activities focusing on education, character and leadership development, $7,500
International Soap Box Derby, for a STEM educational summer program in which underserved children ages 9-12 learn to design and build a mini Soap Box Derby car, $7,500
Kenmore Historical Society, for Kenmore History coloring books and an interactive history trunk, $1,135
Kidstage Peer Workshop Mentorship, to equip young people in South Akron with problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills using theater, $4,000
Leggett CLC, for awards, incentives and programs to improve academics and attendance, including new bicycles for perfect attendance, $3,500
Ms. Julie’s Kitchen, for an Edible Walk-Thru, offering young people access and education to fresh, healthy, locally grown food, $3,000
Project GRAD Akron, to support the sixth annual Expo for Success academic enrichment program, which strengthens connections between home and school, as well as the 12th annual Snacks and Educational Fun with Santa events, $7,500
Tutoring Nurtures Talent Inc., to provide free tutoring services in math, reading and computer literacy to students from economically challenged families, $3,000
University Park YMCA, for the “Make a Splash” water safety program for minority youth, $3,500
Woodland United Methodist Church, for the iStrive Outreach Project, which provides after-school tutoring and enrichment activities for underserved youth in the Zahn Drive neighborhood, $5,000
About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 61 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. As of March 31, 2016, it is a philanthropic endowment of more than $182 million with a growing family of more than 530 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation’s funds have awarded more than $130 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.
